1. Field
The present teachings generally relate to the field of food services and more particularly, to systems and methods for monitoring various parameters that affect the manner in which food can be presented.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many food service settings, food items are placed in the serving area so they can be served to the consumers. In settings such as buffets, some food items are self-served by the customers, while some are served by servers at the request of customers. In other settings, such as cafeterias and some fast-food food providers, servers dish out the requested food items to the customers.
In these and other situations, food items are typically brought out initially in relatively large quantities in containers, and left out for some time. To maintain the quality, and for health reasons, food items are typically kept at specified ranges. For example, warm food items are kept warm using different types of warmers. Likewise, cold food items are kept cold by ice or other similar cold objects. Kept at such conditions, food items are discarded if not consumed after a time limit. Such time limits and the condition surrounding the food are typically dictated by food safety regulations, especially if the food is being served to the public.
A similar situation occurs in food storage. Many food items received a food provider must be stored at proper temperature and not used passed a specified expiration date.
In spite of the above problems, most food providers do not have any reliable tools for tracking the environmental aspects (e.g., age, temperature, humidity, etc.) of food in storage or on a serving line. The problems faced by regulatory inspectors and customers is even more acute, as they typically have less information available to them than the food providers. For example, inspectors and customers typically cannot tell how long a food item has been on a serving line or how old a food item is. Thus, there is a need for improvement in the way food is stored and served. In particular, there is a need for an improved method of monitoring the conditions that can affect the quality and safety of the food that is ultimately served.